Blood Red December
by Eximaus Xiana
Summary: I was called back into a life of killing...God help me...Rated for language and possible lemon.


Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

**Chapter One**: Reunion

It's funny, isn't it? Life gives us exactly what we earn. Why did I expect a life of killing would get me other than my own predictable death? But still, the life I had led had been a rush. I considered myself retired. I hardly ever unsheathed Tetseiga other than to amuse myself.

On this particular night, the air was hot and humid. It felt used, like it had been within the breast of every single living thing. I was dying for some relief. The sound of a babbling brook drifted to my ears. Sweat rolled down the bridge of my nose and landed on my lips. I licked it away and took to the tree tops.

There was no breeze and running through the trees only made me more uncomfortable. I got to the side of the brook and untied my fire rat robe. I set Tetseiga down in the dirt, the dainty piece of metal giving a small clink as its hilt hit against a rock. I dropped my kimono do the ground, a breeze finally blowing through. It was small but it was soothing. I stepped into the water.

The bottom of the stream was slick and slimy and I made a face. It felt disgusting. Then, my brain registered the feel of the water against my ankle. I let out a soft sigh and began to wade deeper into the stream. The cool water splashed around my battle-toned body. The water was soothing and I relaxed. I dipped my body down low, the water coming to my shoulders.

I lifted my feet and floated on my back. Much like myself, my thoughts drifted.

I had thought about a few years back, when I had known Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo…I had known that Kagome had feelings for me but it never would have worked out. After reassembling the Shikon Jewel and killing Naraku, we gave the jewel to the priestess Keade. Kagome and I had talked; I had convinced her to return to her own time. She was needed there more than here. Miroku and Sango got married, but everyone saw that coming. Shippo grew up and returned to the Fox Clan as a prince. He ruled in his father's stead.

I had often wondered how things would have ended up if Kagome and I had stayed together. It would have been a disaster, I'm sure. No human woman ever survived the birth of a demon. It just isn't possible. And I couldn't love her like she deserved.

I gave my heart away a long time ago. To a cold-hearted bitch, no less. A _Dead_ bitch.

I guess you could say that I had become numb. Everything had become quiet since the death of Naraku. A balance was restored. Demons and humans stayed apart as they should.

Everyone had settled down even Sesshomaru and that mutt, Koga. They both took mates. Everyone had a family.

Except for me.

I was alone in the end, just as I was in the beginning. I can hardly say that it was fair but it was what I've been dealt in life. I guess I was just waiting to die.

A sound in the forest dropped my thoughts like a bad habit and put me on alert. I was out of the water in a flash, Tetseiga in my hand and at full capacity. I had thought about why the sword still grew. I mean, I wasn't protecting humans or anything.

I pushed such useless thoughts away and braced myself for a fight. A tall, cloaked figure stepped from the clearing. I tensed and scrambled to get my clothes on while keeping an eye on the figure.

"Are you the one they call Inuyasha?" a voice said, hidden somewhere deep within the cloak. The voice had a feminine tone; it was soft. I found myself relaxing a little. Only a little, though. I finished dressing and held Tetseiga in front of me.

"I am." I said, trying to shake the haze from my mind. The figure was cloaked from head to toe in a black robe.

"Your brother sent me. He seeks council." I relaxed more and sheathed my sword.

"What does he want?" I said before I could catch myself. I asked a question she'd already answered. Oh yeah, that wasn't dumb. "I mean…"

The figure held out her hand. "My name is Apheacia."

I stepped forward and took her hand, shaking it. Suddenly, I felt a warm feeling. It began to spread throughout my body. It was coming from her.

She was sending warmth through my whole body. I could feel myself becoming light-weight. I relaxed, feeling drowsy. It felt like the world was losing its gravity. My head began to spin slightly but it didn't make me nauseous, but comfortable instead.

Then I felt like I had entered a limbo.

I saw Kagome, she was smiling. She was dancing in a meadow. Then I saw Miroku…grabbing Sango's rear. I felt myself chuckled but I didn't hear it. My vision was blurred and I felt like I was floating.

Then I suddenly came crashing down to earth.

I landed in the middle of a large, marble hall. I looked up, dazed still, and saw Sesshomaru sitting on his throne. A female stood by his side, brown hair and purple eyes. Her skin was tanned and I noticed how sharply she contradicted Sesshomaru. He was pale and had some color, but she was dark had so much more color. She had a kind face and was of course, strikingly beautiful.

I checked my exits; a warrior's instinct. There were two guards at every door. No chance for escape.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said quietly. I looked around, coughing. My chest felt tight, my head was spinning but it wasn't in a good way anymore. I had never teleported before. I drew in a breath and let it out as if I had forgotten how to breathe.

I stood up and looked at my brother. "There had better be a good reason why you wanted to see me, _brother_." I made sure to inject my voice with as much malice as possible. Torches burned on the walls, the light reflected over the giant marble room. Everything was marble. The only thing that wasn't was the throne. It was like something from a dream. Patterns were cut into the marble ceiling and I recognized them as demons. One was of my father. A female was smiling and holding onto his arm; she was human. I knew her instantly. She was my mother.

"This was father's castle," Sesshomaru said, standing. I couldn't tear my gaze away from the image above my head. I felt my eyes water slightly and I shook my head. "He did that carving himself before-"

"And I'm here because?" I said, glaring at Sesshomaru. He chuckled.

"You haven't changed one bit." Sesshomaru's smile was actually sincere. I had never seen him smile before and it suited him. I saw the female's eyes twinkle at his laugh. No doubt she was the reason he actually smiled. I knew that someday, Sesshomaru would have to come around and learn to relax that face of his. And of course it took the love of a good woman. Kagome was the one who had awakened my inner child, so to speak. I had remembered how to laugh with her. Goddamn her for being human.

Sesshomaru frowned. He walked to me; his gait was that of a king. His eyes were soft and seemingly concerned. He regarded me closely. "But you are…numb."

I was slightly taken aback but I quickly recovered. 'Of course he would be able to tell,' I thought to myself. 'He was numb half of his life.'

I didn't say anything. I just looked him in the eye and tried to suppress the sudden feeling of loneliness that began to rise like bile in my throat, making it ache. I swallowed hard. Sesshomaru put his hand on my shoulder. Suddenly he smiled.

"I'd like to invite you to dinner. Afterwards we can discuss why you are here." Sesshomaru said. I watched him as he smiled. The smile was shaky, as if touching me was pushing the line. He must've been new to the whole smiling thing. The female behind him moved into his seat, her leg dangling over the arm. She looked bored.

"Kiema," Sesshomaru said, looking over his shoulder. The female stood up and walked over. She wore a light fitting robe, unlike anything I had ever seen. She didn't bow or curtsy. Instead she put a hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder and smiled, her body relaxed. Very easy-going.

"This is-" Sesshomaru started but Kiema interrupted him.

"So, this is the famous Inuyasha." she said as more of a statement than question. "I've been to Keade's village. How is she?"

Well, so much for introductions. Sesshomaru seemed to have given up to, slipping a hand around Kiema and squeezing. "Kiema lets not interrogate our guest. You'll have plenty of time for that at dinner."

"Oh, you're no fun." Kiema pouted. When Sesshomaru was unresponsive to her cute face she rolled her eyes. "Fine then I'll go get ready for dinner."

Kiema sauntered off and two maids joined her at her side. "He sucks the fun out of everything doesn't he?" I heard her say as she exited the room. The two guards at the door moved off to the side and bowed.

"Yes, mistress…" the maids agreed quietly, their eyes to the ground. Kiema stood tall, however, just like a queen.

Sesshomaru chuckled. "I love that woman." The guards returned to their place.

"I can tell." I added, trying to keep the boredom out of my voice. I was actually very bored. And tired. When did I get so tired? Must have been the whole teleportation thing.

"So, brother, will you join me in my study?" Sesshomaru asked and began to walk. I instinctively followed.

"Only if you'll tell me why I'm here." I said, a little meaner than I had meant. Sesshomaru took my tone in stride.

"Then what would be the fun of you staying for dinner?" Sesshomaru asked. He came off of his "happy" thing but was still slightly cheerful. This wasn't the Sesshomaru I knew. He was way too happy. I know that sounds bad but he was. I wasn't used to seeing Sesshomaru anything but angry or calm. We walked through a guarded door.

"How ya doin'?" I said to one of the guards. He stared straight ahead but seemed to stiffen at the direct attention. Jeez, talk about uptight.

"Uhm…I wouldn't?" I said, rolling my eyes. We had entered a courtyard and were walking in a hall with an open faced wall that gave a view of the courtyard. I turned my attention to the scenery.

"Exactly." Sesshomaru said. We walked through another set of double guarded doors.

"Christ, Sesshomaru. Security is tight enough." I said.

"It's a palace, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru said. I could sense some of that annoyance I had come to hate return for an instant.

"That female did a number on you, didn't she? I mean, you haven't threatened to kill me once in the ten minutes I've been here." I said as we entered what I presumed was the study. A fire was going. A lot of books. The place was defiantly study material.

Sesshomaru sat behind a big, mahogany desk. "People change."

I stood with my arms crossed, tough as nails, skepticism overwhelming my voice. "Not you."

Sesshomaru and I were silent and still for a while, eyes staring deep into one another. "Why don't you sit down, Inuyasha?"

And I did. I sat in one of the big, overstuffed, fancy-looking chairs. Damn, the place wasn't meant for me. I was wild, of nature.

"Now tell me what you want from me, Sesshomaru. I'm losing my patience." I said with my arms still crossed. I was itching to get out of the damn office. Hell, I wanted to leave the whole damn palace. It made me uneasy. I felt so alien compared to everyone's clean clothes, the clean rooms. Sesshomaru's face lost its friendliness.

"Very well, then." Sesshomaru said. He was silent for a while, gathering his thoughts. "You remember Naraku, do you not?"

I smirked and leaned back, despite the pounding of my heart. I hope Sesshomaru and I were thinking something totally different.

"How could I forget?" I said through clenched teeth, still smirking.

"He…has a daughter. We're not sure who the mother is but she's coming of age and I need her on our side. She doesn't know who her father is…or was, and I want it to stay that way." Sesshomaru said. I sighed with relief. So we weren't thinking the same thing.

"And you want me to find her?" I assumed that's what he wanted. I stood up, an antsy feeling creeping up my legs. I had to move around. I went to one of his many bookshelves. I could feel his eyes on me as I moved around the room. I could sense a spike in his nervousness and I wondered if he thought I was going to leave. It didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Yes. And due to your apt knowledge of the terrain, weather habits, and tracking skills, I thought it'd be best if I put you in charge of finding her." Sesshomaru said. "She passed through Keade's village sometime at noon today but I ordered that my men stay put until you were informed."

I ran a finger over the spine of one book. I couldn't read Japanese so I didn't know what it was called, but it was bound in brown leather, the Japanese characters embossed with gold. As my clawed index finger moved over the leather, the small, fine layer of dust attached itself to my finger. I lifted my finger away and looked at it.

"That makes sense. No use in scaring the poor girl more than she needs to be." I said, blowing the dust from my finger.

"Yes, but that's not the only reason my men stayed away." Sesshomaru said. I had sensed he was choosing his next words carefully. "She's…a warrior, Inuyasha. A warrior…for our kind. She's not only half of…well, whatever Naraku was, she's half dog demon as well. And since she is half dog demon, we can assume she's not just another incarnation of him."

I froze for the slightest instant. To know Naraku had put his filthy hands on one of my kind angered me. I felt the rage shifting around in me. Suddenly, everything having to do with Naraku flooded back to me. All the pain and hurt he'd caused my companions and I. He almost killed Kagome, my almost mate. My best friend. The only one who didn't see me as an animal, perhaps? I felt so much rage. Suddenly, I was very, very interested in finding this girl.

'Relax,' I told myself. 'Anger will get you nowhere.'

I turned back to Sesshomaru. "Okay sure, I'll help you out, _brother_."

Line

I walked down with Sesshomaru to dinner. I could hear the chatter as we neared the dining hall. I could hear Kiema's voice above all others. She was talking, then there was an eruption of laughter. I assumed Kiema had told a joke. When the door swung open to reveal Sesshomaru and myself, the room fell silent.

I stood there, probably looking like a dumbass.

"God heavens, is that the missing Inuyasha?" A voice said from the table. There were murmurs. Sesshomaru held up his hand and in an instant, the voices ceased.

"Indeed, it is the Inuyasha, second son to my father. You will treat him with as much respect as you would treat me." Sesshomaru said with authority. Immediately, everyone stood up and bowed at the waist.

"Sire," Everyone said at once. The only one who didn't bow was Kiema. Even the servants who were piling food on plates stopped mid-scoop and bowed.

"Wow." I said. "Uhm, thanks?"

Sesshomaru walked to his place and I stood to the left of him, Kiema stood on his right. When Sesshomaru sat down, we all did. I may have been wild but I knew common respect. I looked around.

There were males and females, all dog demons, probably of the dog demon aristocracy. I had always hated the aristocracy. They were so stuck up and always in everyone else's business. I leaned to Sesshomaru.

I whispered, "How many of these demons are in the aristocracy?"

Sesshomaru hinted a smile and leaned close. "They all are, Inuyasha."

I groaned and sat back upright, straightening out the top of my kimono. It suddenly occurred to me that I still had Tetseiga. My hand absently brushed the hilt of my sword. It vibrated slightly in response. I felt my ears tweak on instinct but that only made me feel more uneasy. The dining room and its extravagance was enough to make any wild man throw up. It was just that intimidating. The loud voices of the watchful aristocrats weren't helping.

Suddenly, Sesshomaru let lose with two thundering claps. The voices quieted. "Today is a special day, for my brother has returned. I would very much like it if all of you aristocrats would be discreet about his presence here. Anyone who disobeys will have to answer to me personally. And I'm not known for my mercy."

Sesshomaru sat and the servants came out with platters of food. I sat back as all kinds of delicious smelling foods were placed in front of me. Chicken, vegetables…a couple of things I didn't recognize; it all smelled wonderful.

'Now,' I told my inner self. 'Use the utensils, use the utensils, use the-

I tore into the food as soon as they were finished piling it on my plate. I ate with my hands, suddenly really hungry. It all smelled so good. My senses felt like they were in heaven. And the TASTE…my god I hadn't tasted anything so wonderful. I was so used to raw meat. I hadn't cooked my food since the time of Kagome, and that was five years beforehand.

I ate the chicken first. Then I grabbed three rolls and put this potato-tasting mush on them. The combination was really good and I couldn't stop shoveling food. Next was the beef. It looked like steak. I had heard of steak but I never had it. It was wrapped in some sort of flakey pastry. I downed that fast and felt like I was going to cry. It was all so good.

I downed a glass of wine. It was fruity and warm sliding down my throat but when it hit my stomach and I suddenly didn't feel too good…

That's when I was aware of the silence. Everyone was eating elegantly but they were watching me. I felt my stomach churn.

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" I heard Sesshomaru ask. The stress of the eyes watching me and the quickness in which I ate made me feel like I was going to vomit. I felt my mouth water.

"I'm f..fine…" I mumbled, my arm coming around my stomach. Something wasn't right. Something…

I felt my stomach clench.

"Sesshomaru…oh my god!" I heard Kiema exclaim. I heard someone stand up. All the sounds were muffled as if I were slipping underwater. The pain in my stomach grew unbearable and I gasped. I everything was going dark but I couldn't let myself become lax and vulnerable. No matter how sick I was. Just then, I heard Naraku's voice in the distance, laughing.

I jumped out of my chair and drew Tetseiga. It grew to its full girth.

'Focus,' I told myself. I couldn't see that well; shapes were weaving in and out of my vision. I did a body check.

Head…okay I could feel my head on my shoulders. Arms, I felt the muscles clench and unclench as I gripped Tetseiga rhymically. Pumped it. I felt my chest heave with each breath. My mouth began to water more, bringing with it the promise of vomiting. I swallowed hard. 'Focus.'

I twitched my legs. Legs were okay. Feet were okay as well. But I felt a million times heavier than normal. My hearing dimmed and I no longer heard the concerned voices or the panic of Kiema. But I heard Naraku's laugh again, this time it was right next to my ear. I slashed to the left but his voice just moved to the right.

"I'm right here, Inuyasha. Tisk tisk, you didn't finish me properly. Now I'm back." Naraku cooed in my ear. I blinked several times, trying like hell to clear my vision.

"You can never destroy me, Inuyasha!" Naraku laughed bitterly. "You and your brother are so _weak_…so _pathetic_."

I began to waiver, fear rising in my throat, bringing with it a cold ache. "No…" I gasped.

"Oh yes…you can never escape me." Naraku said, laughing again. His laughter dimmed as the blackness washed over me. I wouldn't will myself to lay down though. I was caught between a fighting battle with my own conscious, and I WOULD win.

'Just stay on your feet. You can fight it.' I was aware of the sword in my hands once again. It's tip was near the ground, my shoulders...my shoulders were haunched. I was then aware of the hands on my body, willing me to lay down. A woman came into the blackness that was my vision. God she was beautiful.

"Kagome…" I spoke to the figure in front of my eyes.

"Not Kagome." I could have sworn an angel was addressing me. "Rest, warrior."

I listened, slipping into blackness.

**R&R**

**DBDOC**


End file.
